Field
The present disclosure generally relates to doors. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to door curtains and other retractable or “rollup” doors.
Related Art
Rollup, or rolling, doors are widely used for industrial and commercial purposes. For example, rollup doors are commonly used as cargo bay doors, self storage unit doors, garage doors, and the like. Rollup doors often comprise a number of interconnected leaves or slats, and this group of interconnected slats may comprise a “door curtain” or “curtain.” The curtain may be mounted to an overhead shaft, and as the rollup door is opened, or rolled up, the curtain may wind in layers about the shaft. Very often, the slats are metallic, and as the curtain is rolled up or unrolled, the slats produce considerable friction and noise as they come into contact.
Attempts have been made to lessen the wear experienced by rollup doors. Attempts have also been made to lessen the noise produced by these doors as they are opened and closed. For instance, some manufacturers have attempted to place a cushioning or insular material between consecutive layers of rolled up door curtain. Although these attempts have perhaps succeeded in insulating a variety of door curtains from wear, they have suffered from the disadvantage that the insulating material has been visible and/or accessible when the door to which it is secured is closed. Accessible and/or visible insulating material may pose a safety risk and may be regarded as detracting from the aesthetic simplicity of the curtain itself.
A rollup door comprising a non-visible or hidden insulating material would, therefore, comprise an advantageous improvement. That is, a rollup door fitted with an insulating material that retracts or rolls up when the door is rolled down or closed would comprise a significant advantage over the prior art. Indeed, such a door would protect the door from wear and insulate against the operational noise produced by the door, but preserve the aesthetic appeal of the uninsulated door and improve the safety of the door by removing the insulating material (in which, for example, a person may become entangled) from reach. Additionally, such a door may benefit the environment, in that a longer door lifetime, and subsequently less landfill, may result from the improved lifetime of the door. The quiet operation of the door may be of further advantage to the preservation of the natural environment.